Pro Juventa

Our Objectives

Our objectives include supporting the development of education and prevention in child and adolescent psychiatry in Hungary, promoting art-based and creative therapeutic approaches, and supporting organizations and events with similar aims. We consider it important to raise public awareness of the significance of prevention and rehabilitation in child and adolescent psychiatry and to promote a broader understanding of these issues through the media.

Past, Present and Future

Our foundation was established in 1996 by the staff of the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Department of the National Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology. Following the closure of the institute, the Foundation continued to organize and sustain a wide range of art and art therapy activities at several locations. Following its most recent renewal, the Foundation set new objectives in order to continue supporting children and young people experiencing mental health difficulties on a broader scale. Ongoing restructuring within the healthcare system, the reduction in the number of child psychiatric wards and their extremely limited availability have made it increasingly difficult to provide longer-term treatment within inpatient settings. Opportunities for prevention have also become more limited. In the future, we aim to support children who do not yet require, or no longer require, hospital treatment. We also intend to assist children’s homes and temporary residential facilities, where longer therapeutic processes can be coordinated. Through this cooperation, children’s recovery can become faster and more comprehensive. We also welcome these children to the groups and individual therapy sessions held at . . With advance planning, trained volunteers can accompany them to the therapy location. We warmly welcome everyone to our foundation’s programs during the current academic year!

Art Salon – Soul and Art

We firmly believe that no one should have to go without the therapeutic support they need simply because they cannot afford it. We cannot and do not want to accept that therapy should be an inaccessible luxury for children living with chronic mental health difficulties and their families. Whenever and wherever possible, we therefore work to ensure that this is not the case. The Art Salon is one meaningful expression of this commitment.

Parent Clubs

With the support of the Pro Juventa Foundation, we regularly organize free themed parent club evenings at MURMO. We believe that during the difficult moments of parenting, knowledge and a supportive community can be just as important as professional guidance. Each session begins with an introduction to a current topic affecting many families, presented by a professional. This is followed by an open discussion with the parents attending. We reflect together, ask questions and share our experiences. The aim of the Parent Club is psychoeducation and prevention: to explore the difficulties affecting children and families in clear, everyday language, and to present and jointly identify practical strategies that can be applied in real life. Over the past ten years, our Parent Club events have reached more than 3,000 families. Feedback shows that these evenings are valuable not only for parents, but also for the professionals who take part. The Parent Club is a meeting point where clinical knowledge and the everyday realities of families come together directly.

Methodological Demonstration Through First-Hand Experience

With the support of the Pro Juventa Foundation, we regularly organize methodological demonstration sessions where interested parents can learn about a particular therapeutic or developmental method through first-hand experience. Each session introduces a specific approach used at MURMO to support the treatment and development of children with atypical developmental needs. This allows parents not only to hear about the method, but also to try it themselves and experience what it feels like to take part in the therapeutic or developmental process from within. We firmly believe that therapeutic work cannot be fully understood through theoretical explanation alone. When parents personally experience a movement- and rhythm-based exercise, a collaborative creative process or a structured developmental game, they gain a much deeper understanding of why and how the method can help their own child. According to a systematic review examining the effectiveness of psychotherapeutic and psychoeducational support interventions for parents, programs that support parents improve their emotional well-being and coping strategies, which in turn are associated with better academic, behavioral and social outcomes for children. Parent programs that combine emotional and educational support have been shown to benefit both parents and children, while creating an environment that supports the child’s development.

Richter Anna Award-Winning Team

Our team received the Richter Anna Award in the healthcare professional category. Thanks to this recognition, we were able to create a podcast series based on topics from the Lotilko Program’s free Parent Club sessions, which had been running for eight years at the time.

Volunteering

There are opportunities to take part in our work as a volunteer and become involved in a variety of programs. We particularly welcome applications from future psychologists, preschool teachers, social workers, primary school teachers and youth workers. Our volunteers receive training and professional guidance, with opportunities for continuous development throughout their time with us. Through the program, they can gain a deeper understanding of working with children and families within their own professional fields, particularly in public education, healthcare and social services. They can support the work of our foundation with organizational tasks, grant applications and the implementation of funded projects. Volunteers may also become involved in supporting families, working in children’s homes and helping to organize our summer camps. Further details are provided in person.

Applying for Financial Assistance

Financial assistance is currently provided through the Pro Juventa Foundation for the Mental Well-Being of Young People, supporting children, adolescents and their families who participate in our comprehensive child psychiatry programs—Lotilko, MBT and Konnekt. At present, this assistance takes the form of adjusted fees during the therapeutic phase. Unfortunately, the Foundation is not yet able to provide financial support for the diagnostic phase. The Foundation’s trained volunteers support the team’s work and assist with administrative tasks. They can also help with transporting and supervising children—for example, while parents attend a feedback session or consultation.

Who Do We Support?

Our support program specifically supports work with children:

• who come to us with a child psychiatric diagnosis or receive a diagnosis at our center,
• who wish to begin a long-term therapeutic process following hospital treatment,
• whose assessment at Murmo has involved or currently involves several professionals,
• who are under the age of 18,
• whose therapeutic fees place a significant financial burden on their families,
• who receive multi-level therapeutic support at Murmo.